Write One Page Per Day – 111/365 – April 21, 2018

Jeff opened his eyes only to shield them from the light of hundreds of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling above him. The smell of dampness and mold filled the chilly air. He groaned as he rolled over on a soft surface.

When he felt awake enough to slowly uncover his eyes he found himself in a large concrete room with a circular carpet in its center. A runner ran from the carpet to a steel door on one side of the room. Every inch of the carpet was covered in obscure designs, but he found himself more unsettled at the sea of small bronze statues that surrounded him.

He shuffled down the carpet to the door at the end, hearing muffled voices from the other side.

“He- Hello?” He called out, his voice hoarse, as he approached the door. “Who’s out there?”

The muffled talking stopped, followed by the sound of someone running up a flight of stairs on the other side of the door.

“Is someone out there?” he yelled as he began hitting the door. “Hello?”

After a few minutes, he stopped hitting the door. He reached for his phone but found that the pockets of his jeans were empty. A wave of panic washed over him.

“Shit,” he muttered, turning around. He bent down and inspected the nearest statue.

The statues all faced the center of the room. Each exactly the same. depicting a robed and hooded figure with an odd-looking crown on its head. The robes looked tattered and torn, but enough detail was put into the craftsmanship of the work that when he leaned it back to try to look under the veil he could make out a jaw line.

From beneath Jeff’s shirt, he felt the amulet warm as he turned the statue over. He pulled the amulet out and found that the symbol on it seemed to be moving.

“What the hell-” he muttered as the lights in the room dimmed and a dark laugh echoed through the room.